Miyajima-The Daishoin Temple

The end of our hike down the Mt. Misen.

Hot and tired from our two hour hike down Mt. Misen, we quickly zeroed in on the only restaurant in sight.  When we finished powering-up on delicious unagi, we made our way across the street to explore the Daishoin Temple. 

A sign depicting the layout of the Daishoin Temple.

During our two years (so far) in Japan, I have seen quite a few temples.  This one turned out to be one of my favorites.  We were fortunate to be there during the spring when the flowers and trees were blooming.  The colors were vibrant and beautiful. 

The main temple.

Beautiful Buddhas.

This room was undeneath one of the smaller buildings.  People spin the little balls and put coins in front of the god or goddess to whom they are praying.  It smelled amazing in there-incense was continually burning. 

My favorite building.  So beautiful!

A pathway through the complex.

A beautiful pond.  You can't see here, but koi are swimming in the pond.

As you walk upwards, you spin the rollers.  I think prayers are written on them.

The sign as you leave the temple.

Though I love reading and learning about the history of the temples and shrines I visit, I have a difficult enough time just remembering their names.  I almost never remember any information about them. 

In some (many, actually)  cases it is very difficult to learn anything as most of the signs are in Japanese only.  Though my Japanese skills have significantly improved over the past two years, the kanji characters (the ones from China) continue to prove a constant challenge. 

Luckily, at this temple there was an English pamphlet full of interesting information.  If you are unable to find an English speaking guide (there are a surprising number of volunteer English speaking guides at popular tourist locations throughout Japan) look around for English pamphlets.  They might be there. 

Our day on Miyajima was coming to an end….but we still had an extremely famous cultural icon to visit.